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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria Sheriff's Office is accepting applications for the fall session of its Community Academy, a free program that walks residents through how the office operates within the local justice system.
The academy meets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on four consecutive Saturdays — Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10 — ending with a graduation ceremony. Classes are held at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center, 2003 Mill Road.
Applications are due Sept. 7. The program is open to anyone 21 or older who lives or works in Alexandria. The Sheriff's Office conducts a background investigation on every applicant, which may include fingerprinting and a criminal history check, before granting final approval.
What participants do
Sessions mix presentations with hands-on activities. Topics include jail operations, judicial and special operations, civil process and warrant service, and inmate services and programs. Participants tour the detention center and the Alexandria Courthouse, where deputies explain the work of a bailiff and how the building is secured.
Past classes have gone well beyond a tour. Participants have taken part in firearms simulation training and use-of-force scenarios, fired a pepperball gun under a sergeant's supervision, sat for a demonstration polygraph examination, operated Project Lifesaver tracking devices used to locate people who wander, and tried out Sheriff's Office vehicles and equipment. This session also includes a meeting with the office's K-9, Aida.
The office describes the exchange as running both directions — residents come away understanding how the agency works, and staff hear the concerns of the people they serve.
What applicants agree to
The application spells out the conditions. Participants may not carry weapons at any session, must provide their own transportation, and are barred from taking photographs or recordings inside the detention center or the courthouse. They agree not to pass anything to or from an inmate, and to refer any inquiry about an inmate to the Sheriff's Office.
The form also asks applicants to acknowledge two things about touring a working jail: that the facility houses people charged with or convicted of violent offenses, and that the Sheriff's Office maintains a no-hostage-negotiation policy that applies to visitors as well as staff.
Applicants sign a liability waiver covering the use of city property and equipment, including the firing range.
A program in its eighth year
The academy has run since fall 2018, when an inaugural class of 20 graduated. Class sizes have varied since — 19 in spring 2025, six in fall 2024 — and the most recent group, 13 members, finished this spring. The city posts each class roster on the program's website.
It is one of five citizen academies Alexandria offers, alongside the City Academy, the Community Police Academy, the Community Fire Academy and the Commonwealth's Attorney Academy.
Applications and more information are available at alexandriava.gov/academies/sheriffs-community-academy. Questions may be sent to Lt. Victor Ignacio at victor.ignacio@alexandriava.gov or 703-746-5013.
